Oh god, I feel extremely silly note that I realized that’s true. Doesn’t flame body protect against freeze, or is that something different? My pokemon currently isn’t up to scratch *reaches for 2DS (some people have these, world!)*

Well, heat from fire makes water “grow” into water vapor, and steam is often much more dangerous than liquid water. So, while fire doesn’t make more water, it does make it bigger and more energetic. :)

and then this all turned out to be a dream sequence, as it suddenly shifts into nightmare gear and the twins turn on him, bloodied and zombified
OoooooooOoooooOoo
[or would a ghost moan be more like “Woooo”?]

HR himself thinks there’s more to this world then what was programmed. Who’s to say they weren’t real? But even if we stick with that (i’m not) you can argue that Byron made for himself a consistent “Tragic childhood” storyline, part of which is being seen now.

Bayen and Brayen were Byrons brothers who died before the story we have been reading started. Byron named his axes after them as a memorial. This is why when he then met them in the woods he knew it was a cultist trap as he knew his brothers were dead.
Although that was a bit hypocritical as he himself had come back from the grave.
Having faced the images of his brothers I guess this is going to be his memory of how they died as he reflects on recent events.

I believe Emanon was referring to the fact that, from the point of view of Sepia World, Bayen and Brayen are part of a fictional backstory created by the person “playing” Byron. In the context of Sepia World’s Kingdoms of Arkerra, Bayen and Brayen are fan-created, non-canon content. Sort of like when some guy who just picked up leather working starts advertising that he’s the greatest in the world at it and has crafted legendary armours from mystical beast hides in the past… when in reality he’s just some level 21 hunter trying to drum up business on the auction house.

The difference here is that, from the perspective of Arkerra… which through technomancy hullabaloo is somehow actually a real place… Bayen and Brayen actually did exist in Byron’s past. Byron actually had a fully fleshed out, realized past – he’s not just a player character, he’s a real boy.

Sepia World can’t justify the existence of Byron as a real person who existed before the player “created” the character, but Arkerra is a living world that existed outside the influence of Sepia World and has merely been “tapped into” by H.R.’s voodoo. That black magic meddling is having profound effects on Arkerra, though, and it’s causing trouble for both worlds.

But … what if, rather than the inserted characters maintaining their own personalities, they were inserted into real citizens of the actual Arkerra and assumed their lives? Sort of a “quantum leap” style piggy-backing. It’s supposed to be a real place, tampered with by H.R. himself via said voodoo.

That, or it’s a MMO that he somehow raised to life in an alternate dimension or such. I suppose that all will be revealed in the fullness of time?

I really want to know how the rest of the server handles resurrections. If it is common, Gravedust shouldn’t be so solem about it… and one would think Syr’nj would just find another healer to bring him back when Gravy wouldn’t.

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